Hunt for Young Chef Begins

October 2013

Leading Oriental food grocer Wing Yip has launched its 2014 search to find the finest Young Chef for Oriental Cuisine.

New for this year the competition is going nationwide and applicants aged between 18 and 25 years old, employed in the hospitality industry or training at college or university, will have the opportunity to enter and demonstrate their flair for Oriental cuisine.

Wing Yip’s Young Chef of the Year 2014 competition offers aspiring cooks the chance to showcase their culinary talent, develop their skills and win a once in a lifetime trip to Hong Kong.

Mr Wing Yip, the Chairman of the company, said, “We want to celebrate the rich vein of young culinary talent in the UK.

Asian and Oriental cuisine is fast becoming one of the most popular in the UK. More and more TV food programmes, including BBC Masterchef, are featuring chefs who are using and experimenting with a raft of authentic Oriental ingredients in their dishes. This competition will showcase the dedication and skilful chefs we have coming through in the UK.”

Entrants will be required to create an Oriental menu using ingredients of their choice.

The panel of judges which includes TV Chef, Ching He Huang, Michelin-starred Birmingham chef, Glynn Purnell, and British Culinary Federation President Peter Griffiths will put the finalists through their paces.

Under the watchful eye of head judge Peter Griffiths the cook-off finalists will be marked on their authenticity, skills and innovation.

This is the second year the competition has run. Last year we were incredibly impressed by the use of flavours, presentation and creativity in the finalists’ dishes. It has certainly set the standard for this year and we are very much looking forward to seeing what this year’s chefs have to offer.

The competition will be judged in two stages: a paper-based entry for the first round (closing date 10 January 2014), followed by a competitive cook-off at the University College Birmingham on 21 February 2014.

The winners will be announced at an official awards dinner at University College Birmingham following the competitive cook-off.

For further information and to download an entry form please go to www.wingyip.com